The council, formed in July 2010 by Gov. Pat Quinn, was set up to
evaluate ways to bring Illinois in line with the Affordable Care
Act, a federal law passed a year ago that makes reforms to national
health care. Although several federal judges have ruled parts or all
of the new law unconstitutional -- forcing the law to most likely be
heard before the U.S. Supreme Court -- states still are preparing
for full implementation of the measure.
"The process will be significantly streamlined and ultimately help
families make more informed choices," said Michael McRaith, director
of the Illinois Department of Insurance.
About 1.7 million Illinois residents were uninsured in 2009,
according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Chief among the recommendations in the report is the creation of an
online health insurance exchange that places health insurance
coverage options in one unified marketplace. The creation of an
exchange is among the mandatory set of reforms required by the
Affordable Care Act.
Families and small businesses will be able to compare and purchase
insurance plans over the Internet in about 20 minutes, said McRaith.
Exact details of how the website will work for the average consumer
still need to be developed, said Julie Hamos, director of the
Department of Healthcare and Family Services.
The council did agree that an independent board of directors should
run the exchange, but it would also be subject to the Freedom of
Information Act and open meetings laws.
"The consensus from the participants was that a quasi-state agency
was an appropriate way forward for the state of Illinois," said
McRaith, who noted Massachusetts and California as states that have
already followed this method.
Jim Duffett, executive director of the Campaign for Better Health
Care, said an independent board will be necessary to carry out the
reforms.
"The political winds -- no matter how they blow in the state in the
years and decades to come -- will be much tougher to exploit if this
exchange is an independent board," Duffett said.
State Sen. Dale Righter, R-Mattoon, said an independent board may
not be enough.
"That's not Illinois sitting down with a blank sheet of paper,"
Righter said. "The federal government is laying down a framework
saying, 'OK, Illinois. You can be creative, but within these little
boxes that we've given you."
Medicaid also will be offered under the exchange, since the new
health care law will offer the state-federal health insurance for
the poor and disabled to low-income single adults for the first
time.
This is "part of the Medicaid reform law as well as designing the
exchange," said Hamos. "They both lead to the same end goal, which
is to make sure the people who receive Medicaid are qualified for it
and found to be eligible for it."
The council hopes to incorporate a feature on the website that will
verify eligibility upon enrollment, estimating that 500,000 to
800,000 people will enroll in Medicaid after the new regulations are
in place in 2014.
Other recommendations were the implementation of a Health
Information Exchange; an electronic network of health records;
creation of a work group aimed at attracting health care workers to
the state; and the development of strategies to maximize federal
grants and non-state funding.
[to top of second column] |
"The unifying theme heard at the council's meetings was that the ACA
must be implemented quickly, efficiently and fairly in order to make
comprehensive health insurance affordable and accessible to all
Illinoisans. The council will continue leading the state's
implementation efforts and reporting periodically on their progress
to ensure we meet our goals," said Quinn in a prepared statement.
The governor currently is reviewing the report, said Quinn
spokeswoman Annie Thompson. Under the Affordable Care Act, the federal government will pay for
the planning, development and implementation of an exchange. States
must demonstrate significant progress toward an exchange by January
2013 or the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services will assume
control.
However, the exact costs of creating such a system are still
unknown.
"Our federally funded consultants, when they complete their work,
will have a number that should be a pretty good indicator," said
McRaith, who pointed to programs price-tagged at $600,000 in Utah
and $50 million in Oregon as an indicator.
Mike Claffey, spokesman for the Department of Healthcare and Family
Services, noted that the federal government is picking up
practically all of the tab for new Medicaid enrollees until 2019,
but he has no idea what the total cost will be.
"I haven't seen any numbers yet in all of the discussions we have
had in the past months," Claffey said.
After 2020, the federal government picks up 90 percent of the cost
of new Medicaid participants, according to the Kaiser Family
Foundation.
In fiscal 2009, Illinois spent $13.1 billion on Medicaid, according
to Kaiser. State spending is estimated to increase by 1.6 percent,
while federal spending will increase 25.9 percent when the reforms
officially kick in.
Even with federal funding, Righter said that health care, especially
when considering the national and state budget deficits, won't be
free.
"That offer is temporary. It's not as if Illinois and our economic
concerns and our budgetary concerns aren't going to be just as valid
in 2019 as they are today," Righter said.
Initial enrollment in the exchange is expected by fall 2013, but the
final federal deadline to implement the changes is January 2014.
"The national law is just a floor. We got a lot of great flexibility
in our state to tweak it and make it better and what fits for the
state of Illinois," Duffett said.
[Illinois
Statehouse News; By MELISSA LEU] |
